


Got the Hint

by SonicCeleste



Series: Crystals and Rolanberries [7]
Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Alisaie is honestly so done with the two of them, First Kiss, G’raha is a clueless boy who doesn’t know what it means when someone showers you with gifts, It’s 2am and I’m living for my two gay catboys, M/M, Post-Shadowbringers, Why does Bragi not have a character tag
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-11
Updated: 2019-11-11
Packaged: 2021-01-27 09:24:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,065
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21389863
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SonicCeleste/pseuds/SonicCeleste
Summary: If the Warrior of Darkness spends a lot of time with you, gives you gifts, and generally seems interested in you, what does that mean?G’raha’s not entirely certain.
Relationships: G'raha Tia | Crystal Exarch/Warrior of Light
Series: Crystals and Rolanberries [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1841296
Comments: 2
Kudos: 76





	Got the Hint

A basket of marmalade made with his favourite La Noscean oranges. A collection of books he mentioned off-hand he couldn’t find when he was in his ruined future. Parts of monsters that, while sort of grotesque, were undeniably cool to look at. Various embroidery hoops with hand-sewn images of all his favourite things.

Looking at the collection of gifts on his desk that No’a had given him over the course of the last couple of months, G’raha was suddenly hit with a thought.

Was No’a trying to… court him?

One would think it an obvious question with an obvious answer, but No’a was an interesting case in that he was remarkably social and affectionate with most people, despite Keepers having a reputation for isolating themselves and brooding. His notoriety as a flirt had spread to the First, in fact, with many a person proudly bragging how the Warrior of Darkness had a romantic meal with them.

G’raha, the Scions, and the barkeeps serving No’a’s free food knew better.

Regardless, the Exarch started pacing within the Umbilicus as he wondered about the gifts taking over his desk. Did the other Scions receive as many? Was No’a just a very generous person? He wouldn’t put it past him - for all his teasing the Mystel- no, Miqo’te - was a very kind, compassionate man, always wanting to see others happy, matching their smiles with his stunning trademark grin and his amber eyes brightening, as if holding the sun itself in their hue…

It took a moment for G’raha to realise he had stopped pacing and was instead staring off into space, hugging himself. He shook his head and sighed. He knew his feelings for the Warrior of Darkness - how throughout the journey to restore the night, he went beyond just being inspired by him and ventured into a desire to know him more intimately. For the sake of his facade and plan at the time, he pushed everything down and focused on getting rid of the Lightwardens. After saving Norvrandt, No’a was headed to and fro between the First and the Source constantly - there were clearly other matters needing his attention that didn’t need to be slowed down by the prospect of a relationship, especially with someone on another world.

And yet… he’d always make sure to chat with G’raha every day. Even when there was nothing to talk about (and when No’a had exhausted all the times he could call G’raha “sweetness” and get a reaction), they’d just sit down together in comfortable silence for a time, No’a leaning his head against the cool crystal of his shoulder and humming a tune he had made specifically for the Exarch. What did it all _ mean _? Was he just being friendly, catching up on lost time? Or was he actually interested, wanting something more than what they have? Was G’raha thinking too much into it? Wicked white, he didn’t think he could be confused by emotions after centuries of living.

“Maybe… if I ask the Scions…” G’raha muttered to himself. Yes, that sounded ideal - they knew the bard better than anyone else in the First, and would clearly be able to tell what was his usual flirting and what meant more. He was particularly close with the twins and Ryne - he got along with them as if they were siblings compared to the others, making them the ideal ones to ask. They wouldn’t make fun of the Exarch for asking for relationship advice, either.

Well, except Alisaie, but the risk was worth it if he got the answer he hoped for.

———

G’raha’s first port of call was Alphinaud, who was all too happy to visit the Crystarium for a break away from Eulmore - helping the citizens rebuild their crumbled society was incredibly taxing, to say the least.

“Exarch, is something the matter?” He called as he walked into the Ocular. “It’s not like you to send an invitation out of the blue unless it’s urgent.”

The Exarch stood from where he was kneeling on the steps leading to the mirror and turned around, smiling warmly. “Ah, Alphinaud, thank you for coming. Don’t worry, there’s nothing serious; merely a personal request. One that I’d like to keep in this room, if that’s alright.”

The Elezen boy looked confused, but nodded nonetheless. G’raha sighed with relief - Alphinaud was nothing if not polite. “Thank you. Now, you’ve known No’a for a long time, correct?”

The boy nodded again, more certain this time. “3 or 4 years, yes. It’s hard to believe he helped me change for the better in such a short span of time, but I’m nonetheless grateful.”

_ He has that effect on everyone _, G’raha thought, smiling. “Well, as you’ve known him for longer than I have, I was wondering if you could help me discern any meaning behind these gifts.”

He stepped aside, letting Alphinaud see the wide spread of things he’d received from the bard. The boy kneeled down, inspecting them closely. “No’a gave you all these?” He asked, slightly in awe as he gazed at the books in particular. The Exarch nodded.

“Okay then, let’s see… Oh, he gave you a handkerchief too.” Alphinaud gently picked up the cloth, turning it over in his hands. “I’m sure you know already, but No’a is quite keen on embroidery at the moment - picked it up sometime after Ala Mhigo’s liberation I believe. Still just a novice, admittedly, but he can do small things like monogrammed handkerchiefs easily, so he’s given one to everyone he considers a friend, including all the Scions. However…”

Red ears perked up. “However?” G’raha repeated, tilting his head.

“Yours is much more detailed than anything we’ve received,” Alphinaud explained, looking more closely at the stitchwork. “It’s double-sided, for one, with both versions of your initials, and a small image on both sides. The Crystal Tower on one, and… an emblem saying ‘NOAH’ on the other?”

“That’s… a story for another time,” G’raha mumbled - memories of back then were hazy, but he still remembered the embarrassment from when he named the research group NOAH, not knowing about the Warrior of Light at the time.

“Right…” Alphinaud looked at him oddly before standing up. “Well, in my opinion, they’re all very friendly gifts at first glance, but when you look closely at them, you realise just how much thought and time went into them. I think he must care for you a lot, G’raha.”

“I see… Thank you, Alphinaud,” G’raha smiled and nodded. “That helps, truly.”

That didn’t really help.

———

Ryne was next, having returned to update the Exarch on her “Eden project”. She was more occupied with the items in question than his query, admiring a jar of marmalade and its wonderfully tangy scent.

“If it’s alright with you, can I take one of the jars with me, please?” She asked politely. “I’d love to share it with Thancred and Urianger when we next go to the Empty. Unless you’re going to share it all with No’a?”

G’raha tilted his head, one ear flicking. “Why would I share it with No’a? He gave it to me.”

Ryne gave him a quizzical look. “You said you use this in sandwiches alongside tea, correct? And you have tea in his room so often…”

“Well, yes…” Suddenly G’raha’s eyes widened and his ears flicked up to attention. “Oh!”

Ryne nodded. “If you don’t mind me saying,” she continued, “I think the reason behind him gifting so much is that he’s trying to say he wants to spend more time with you. Clearly he values the tea times you have together if he gave you all these jars, at least.”

Finally, some progress. “That’s a good point Ryne, thank you,” G’raha sighed, relieved. “You’re more than welcome to take a jar back with you. You’d be surprised what you can do with marmalade - it makes a lovely glaze, for instance.”

“It does? Ooh, I should ask Thancred and Urianger to help me with that! And you should make something special with it for No’a the next time you see him, Exarch!”

“That’s not a bad idea, actually.”

Ryne smiled and made for the door, but paused and turned back around. “I… don’t know if I should tell you this, but… No’a’s aether shines brighter when he’s talking about you. Not like how he was when the Light was corrupting him - it’s more like a warm glow, as if just the thought of you makes him stronger, and happier. It’s not something I see in a lot of people, so maybe keep it in mind?”

G’raha felt his cheeks turn warm as his ears flicked rapidly. “I, um… I-I see. Thank you again, Ryne. I’ll be sure to do that.”

She smiled again and walked out, leaving a very flustered Exarch fiddling with his hood as he tried to stop the blush on his cheeks and his tail under his robes from curling against his leg any tighter. _ So, maybe he does… but just to be sure... _

———

Alisaie stared at the gifts, then at G’raha. “You are joking, aren’t you?”

G’raha slowly shook his head, never losing eye contact with her - she had a way of naturally intimidating him _ just _ enough to make him stand up straighter than usual if they were left alone in a room together. He still couldn’t figure out if it was on purpose or not.

The girl sighed and shrugged. “Honestly… He’s given you a huge pile of your favourite things, and you don’t know if that means he’s interested in you?”

“W-well, I didn’t want to jump to conclusions…” The Exarch replied shyly, wringing his hands. “I haven’t been around No’a for long, all things considered. For all I know he treats his friends the same way he’s doing with me - hence why I’m asking you. You in particular would give me the bluntest answer.”

“I… see,” Alisaie said simply, looking at him oddly. G’raha shivered with a weird sense of deja vu. The girl put a hand on her hip and gave him a stern but slightly pitiful look. “In that case, let me put this in simpler terms for you. No’a saved you after you were kidnapped, despite the fact that he was _ ilms _ away from losing himself to the Light and endangering the whole of Norvrandt. He spends a frankly _ absurd _ amount of time with you whenever he has the opportunity, even if it’s just to do nothing but be with you. He openly flirts with you _ outside of eating establishments _, and he spoils you more than he’s ever done Alphinaud and I. What do you think that means, oh wise and romantically inept Crystal Exarch?”

Ignoring the jab from Alisaie, G’raha stared at the floor, ears flicking as he thought. “So… He _ is _ interested in me?” He asked uncertainly, looking up only to find no-one standing in front of him.

“Finally, the man gets it,” a voice behind him said, making him jump and turn around. Alisaie had already walked to the Ocular’s door. “Now that’s sorted, I’ll leave you to decide how to finally get together. And… Please, Exarch, make it good. He deserves it.”

The door clicked shut and G’raha covered his face with his hands, taking a deep breath in an attempt to calm his pounding heart - now was the time for action, not to jump for joy like a lovestruck teen! He shook his head as if to clear it and started gathering the gifts to put back in the Umbilicus.

“Right. Time to get to work...”

———

When No’a walked through the portal and into the Ocular, the Exarch was nowhere to be seen. While not unusual, it was a tad disappointing - seeing G’raha greet him with a smile was always one of the highlights of his day. He quickly shook it off and instead headed out of the Tower towards the Marketplace, where Bragi greeted him warmly.

“Lovely as always to see you, handsome,” No’a grinned. “Do you know if my usual’s for sale?”

Bragi nodded, used to the casual compliments by now. “Certainly! Tea’s where it usually is, and there’s actually a sale for some baked treats that need to be bought today if you’re interested. You might want to be quick, though - I heard someone bought out the majority already.”

“Really?” No’a tilted his head, surprised. “Arlene didn’t have a problem with that? If I try to buy more than 5 tarts, she goes off on one.”

“Apparently it was a special exception,” Bragi shrugged. “Come to think of it, a lot of the tea and sewing supplies were bought today, too…”

That… was incredibly odd, actually. No’a trusted Bragi enough to know his usual shopping list wouldn’t be thrown out to the general public, but it sounded like too much of a coincidence that his three favourite things to buy were almost out of stock before he could even set foot into the Crystarium.

“Do you know who-“

“Ah! No’a! I was looking for you.”

The bard turned to see Lyna jogging towards him. “Lyna? What’s the matter?”

“The Exarch wishes to speak with you,” she replied. “He was looking all over the Crystarium for you.”

A blue ear flicked in doubt as No’a’s eyes narrowed. “He would’ve known if I was here, though,” he said slowly, knowing Lyna would catch on to the hidden meaning of _ I was in an entirely different world and he would’ve known if I was in the First because I can only come in through the Ocular so that’s a load of shite. _ Lyna simply shrugged in response.

“All he said was to remind you of the time, which is…” She glanced up at the sky. “... About three bells past noon?”

_ Oh! _ No’a suddenly understood, and nodded with a grin. “Don’t worry, I get it. Thanks Ly!” He started jogging over to the Pendants, waving at Lyna and Bragi as he went. They politely waved back, sighing in relief as soon as he turned around.

“Gods, that was close,” Lyna muttered. “I can’t believe he asked me to help when he knows I’m terrible at lying…”

“Well, it’s nice trying to help the two, isn’t it?” Bragi said with a chuckle. “Though I can only imagine how helping to hook up your grandpa feels-“

“_ Don’t even start. _”

———

No’a wasn’t surprised that the door to his room was open. What _ did _ surprise him was the multiple baskets stuffed full of different things sitting on his table, with G’raha calmly sipping tea like nothing was odd about the situation.

“Ah, No’a, good to see you,” G’raha said playfully with the brightest smile he could muster. No’a opened his mouth, then shut it, then opened it again.

“... Huh?”

The Exarch chuckled, setting down his cup and glancing at the baskets on the table. “Do you like the gifts? I think Arlene nearly fainted when I said I wanted to buy most of her stock. Oh, and the workers at the Mean said they were happy to lend you a workbench if you ever wanted to work on your embroidery outside of your room. They were quite jealous of my handkerchief, you know.”

No’a slowly shut the door behind him, walking over to look into the baskets. There was the usual basket of sandwiches from G’raha; a smaller one next to it was full of a tea he had grown fond of during his time in the First; the third was stacked high with Arlene’s tarts, biscuits and cakes; and the last one was the biggest, full of enough sewing supplies to last him for months, if not a year.

No’a blinked, thinking, before looking over at G’raha and putting on his usual flirty grin. “Trying to curry favour with me, sweetness? I appreciate it, but you know I’m happy to do anything you want if you just give me that beautiful smile~”

G’raha’s facade broke instantly as he blushed and looked away, clearing his throat nervously. “I… I am aware of that, No’a. However, I felt that I should catch up with the gift-giving… given that we share the same feelings.”

The bard froze. Silence fell for one, two, three, four-

“No kidding?” No’a asked.

“No kidding,” G’raha repeated.

Silence fell again for one, two-

“Ha… Ha ha ha…!”

No’a started laughing, then laughing loudly, doubled over, making G’raha terribly confused. “Um… Are you ok?” He asked uncertainly, standing up from his seat.

“Menphina above, ha ha… I’m… I’m fine, don’t worry, just… ha… I was wondering how long it would take! Shit, let me catch my breath… Hoooo boy…”

No’a took several deep breaths before he eventually calmed down, looking at G’raha with an expression that could only be described as pure, unadulterated joy. He walked up to the Exarch, raising his hands to hold the other’s blushing face as he gently bumped their foreheads together, amber eyes staring happily into glowing crimson.

“You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting, Raha,” No’a said with a chuckle. “I thought I’d be old and grey before you got the hint!”

One of G’raha’s ears flicked to the side. “Then why didn’t you say something?”

The bard glanced away briefly. “I… didn’t want to push you.”

Something in the redhead Miqo’te told him that wasn’t the whole truth, but he put that at the back of his mind for now. “Well, we’re here now.”

“That we are, sweetness.”

The two stared into each other’s eyes for a few moments more, unwilling to move away from the other, until No’a looked down at G’raha’s lips for a second and smiled.

“May I?” He asked simply.

G’raha’s breath hitched, then he nodded and closed his eyes. No’a grinned.

The kiss was seconds-quick in reality, but for G’raha it felt like hours. It was… odd, after so long, but _ definitely _ not unpleasant in the slightest. Soft and warm and _ definitely very nice _. He could get used to that feeling for sure.

No’a hummed as he pulled away, a hint of smugness in his voice. “Thought so.”

“Thought what?” G’raha asked softly, reaching up to stroke along the tattoos on the other’s cheeks. The bard leaned into his touch and smiled - a warm, loving smile with half-lidded eyes that made the Exarch’s heart flutter. He doubted he would get used to _ that _ look for a long time.

“You’re just as sweet as I imagined.”

”Oh... _You...!”_

**Author's Note:**

> I hope this read well! Thank you for reading~


End file.
